Sepia, Man Tong Kitchen, Crumb Street Kitchen, Esq

Our restaurant critics' picks of the latest and best eats around
the country this week including Sepia, Man Tong Kitchen, Crumb
Street Kitchen, and Esq.

SYDNEYSepia
There's much to be said for those times when top-flight
restaurants give you a chance to taste their work in a less formal
(and, yes, marginally less expensive) way, whether it's the bar
eats at Per
Se in Manhattan, the $45 Friday prix fixe at Marque, or Attica's
Experimental Tuesdays. The news, then, that Sepia (pictured)
has introduced a yakitori menu to complement its three-star à la
carte and dégustation offerings is cause for celebration. It's only
served in the bar, so the seating is better for hit-and-run dining
than settling in for the night, but the quality of chef Martin
Benn's Japanese-style charcoal grilling is unmatched in this
country. The luxe likes of scampi with a salt flavoured with its
shell or the rolled ribbon of Blackmore wagyu are predictably
dazzling, but the real stunner is the chicken - a choice of sticks
of sansho-bright skin, smoky thighs, unspeakably juicy breast. The
only thing better might be the Tasmanian-grown shiitakes, slippery
in their ponzu dressing. It's three-star food on sticks with a wine
list and service to match. What's not to like? Sepia, 201
Sussex St, Sydney, (02) 9283 1990. PAT NOURSE

Bonus Sydney-area book-ahead treat Former Vini head chef Dan Johnston and his Full
Circle cohorts are bunging on a very special harvest dinner at Burrawang in
the Southern Highlands the week after next. The focus is on sharing
"thoughtfully sourced and ethically produced food", much of it from
the nearby Moonacres Farm, and is a fund-raiser for the local
primary school. It's going to be a fun night. Harvest Moon Dinner,
$50 per person, communal seating, BYO,6pm for 6.30pm, Burrawang
School of Arts hall, 35 Hoddle St, Burrawang, NSW, bookings through
Phil Lavers on 0427 167 678 or at trybooking.com/CSDR. PAT NOURSE

MELBOURNEMan Tong Kitchen
In the rush of summer openings, it's possible you missed Man Tong,
the glitzy Crown outpost of the popular Hu Tong chain. But now that
the weather is cooling and we're off daylight saving, it's the
perfect time to get acquainted. The kitchen here doesn't mess with
success, and the group's famed dumplings lead the charge on the
nine-page menu. But if you can will yourself to break with the
tried-and-true, there's plenty of excellent spicy stuff to be had
further in. One of the best of these is a cold entrée of
alternating slices of pork belly and cucumber draped over a bamboo
rack and served with a side of fiery Sichuan pepper-laced sauce.
Rolled up together, the combination of the cool cucumber crunch,
salty pork and chilli-laden sauce is a knockout. Man Tong
Kitchen, Level 1, West End, Crown Complex, 8 Whiteman St,
Southbank, Vic, (03) 9686 9888. MICHAEL HARDEN

HOBARTCrumb Street Kitchen
We've recently written about this cheap-as-chips southern American
barbecue joint for Hot
Plates but Zac Shearer and Sian King's recent decision to open
for weekend breakfasts makes it worth another story. They're making
their own croissants and pain au chocolat, which are delicious,
but, unsurprisingly, it's what comes out of the barbecue that makes
this breakfast menu unique and exciting. Eggs here come fried on
top of crisp pork with "hot, hot" sauce or poached with barbecued
brisket; and the hotcakes, made with corn and jalapeños, are hot in
more ways than one. Crumb Street's paper plates and plastic knives
and forks aren't exactly ideal but are a small price to pay for
such a spicy way to start the weekend. Crumb Street Kitchen,
144 Harrington St, Hobart, Tas, (03) 6234 7002. SUE DYSON
& ROGER MCSHANE

BRISBANEEsq
You can almost feel a Zen-like calm descend as you cross the
threshold at Esquire. You're in safe hands, in a beautifully
understated room, with exquisite accoutrements and views. Turn left
at the entrance and you'll find Esq, which offers the same service
and ambience, and some of the same dishes, only in a more casual
setting. Slivers of intense air-dried wagyu are the perfect autumn
entrée alongside a scattering of kimchi wafers and chips dusted
with a salty freeze-dried vinegar or house-made barbecue powder.
And the price to be paid for all this culinary effort? Eight
smackers. The most expensive main course here is a perfectly
barbecued tranche of Murray cod with lemon and garlic, a steal at
$32. Desserts are $10 to $12. Run, don't walk. Esq, 145 Eagle
St, Brisbane, Qld, (07) 3220 2123. FIONA DONNELLY